


like a star.

by bledstars



Series: Claudeleth Week 2020 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Claudeleth Week, F/M, Goddess Tower scene, claude has the best lines with byleth and i will die for this ship, claudleth week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25544536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bledstars/pseuds/bledstars
Summary: He had once believed that wherever she was, he could find her. Whether it be in the academy or on the battlefield, his eyes always searched for her. No matter where she hid, he would find her, just like he did on the night of the ball.Prompt: Star/Comfort
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Claudeleth Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851031
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	like a star.

As he stood there, on top of the Goddess Tower, he stared out at the horizon. The last time he was here was with her. She had blue hair that shined in the moonlight, and blue eyes that sparkled under the stars. ‘ _How could it be five years already?_ ’ He thought quietly. Five years since he lost her, five years since he felt this hole in his heart. Five years without someone that he had only known for such a short while, yet had changed everything for him. 

He had once believed that wherever she was, he could find her. Whether it be in the academy or on the battlefield, his eyes always searched for her. No matter where she hid, he would find her, just like he did on the night of the ball. 

He had left the ballroom, wondering where on earth she had gone. He knew that the ball was boring, all Fodlan ceremonies were a bit boring and dry in his opinion. Always so stiff and traditional that it left a sour taste in his mouth. The only good thing that came out of that ballroom was taking Teach’s hand and stealing her first dance before anyone else could. He could practically see the angry auras leaving some of the male students as he guided the favored professor across the dance floor. But after being overwhelmed by requests to dance with her she had vanished. 

“Where would she hide?” His eyes looked around before it lifted to see the Goddess Tower. He recalled how she asked him during one of their tea times if he knew about the legend of the tower. She asked him if there was some magical object on top of it, and he had to explain with a laugh how it was just a nice story people told each other and how no one could ever resist a good love story. “There is no…way…”He whispered while his feet guided him up the steps of the tower.

Claude wondered if he’d find her with someone. He didn’t like to think about that. To be honest, but tath was a thought for another day. Knowing her though, she was probably just overwhelmed by the focused attention that everyone placed on her. The cool wind from the top of the tower, he saw the way she sat on the edge and stared up at the sky silently. If he was even a quarter as talented as Ignatz, he would have painted the scene. The stars above her, the beautiful scenery in the background, while she sat and stared up at the heavens. But most importantly, she was alone. Not waiting for someone, just her.“Oh. Hey teach…” 

After his greetings, he saw her pat the seat beside her and he quickly hopped over and sat beside his professor. “What brings you to the goddess tower..You know what..never mind. The answer is as clear as day. You couldn’t bear the ball anymore and simply had to escape.”

A soft chuckle as she slowly nodded. “I just needed a break.” She said as she tipped her head to look at him, her blue eyes sparkling like the stars. Even if she did not express herself like everyone else, her eyes never lied. They were always honest, never hiding her true intentions, a true window to her heart. 

“There’s nothing wrong with admitting you’re not comfortable in a noisy crowd.” A sigh as he leaned back and let his gaze move from her to up to the stars above them. Crowds. They were never a favorite thing for him. Crowds were where people can quickly hide their true feelings, their true intent. It also didn't help that he was almost killed at a party when he was a kid, a knife to his gut, he was lucky that his mother knew white magic. It was the noise that also bugged him, distracting at best. He never learns to be at ease when it came to large gatherings. There were too few he trusted, too few that he could be himself around. It was better that way, to not trust anyone, to be make sure to doubt everyone, it was a way of surviving.“Really…I get it..I’m the same way…”

There was a pause. Blue eyes searching for answers in the green ones that were avoiding her gaze, looking anywhere but her. “I don’t believe it.” There was a gentleness in her tone that brought a shiver down his spine. He didn’t know if she could read his thoughts or not. Was she questioning his comment that he was not one for crowds, or was she questioning his last thoughts of survival and his inability to trust anyone. 

“Ha! See right through me do you? But I really do mean it. Parties aren’t for me. ” He ran a hand through his brown locks, a bit nervous before he winked at her. A distraction, a change of conversation. Anything to not feel so vulnerable under her gaze. Anything to not feel the pounding feeling in his chest as she stood there, his beautiful mystery. “Music and fun are all well and good…but those dances the nobles do are…something else.” 

All proper, as if anyone could be ones partner. Wasn’t that the Fodlan way? Marriage not for love but for power, for crests, for heritage. Sometimes the dances felt so unemotional, it lacked any sense of affection for one's partner as they glided through the motions. Hollow and empty, like so many things of this land. “I was never really taught to do that sort of thing…My upbringing was… _lacking_ in certain ways.” 

“And do you think someone like me, a former mercenary does not lack more than than a noble from the Alliance? Much less..the heir of the Alliance?” It wasn’t reprimanding, rather teasing, almost a sense of sympathy laced between her words. “I guess we have another thing to share in our upbringing.” 

How easy it was for to weaken his defenses, how easily she could make him feel at ease. After years of feeling tense, always looking over his shoulder, always making contingency plans after contingency plans just in case someone betrayed him, to feel so relaxed around her, like he could breathe again. He was more than grateful for the comfort she provided him with just a few words. “I may have secured a fancy new title…but who I am..on the inside..Well status alone can’t change that.” And when she opened her mouth to retort his saying, he put his hand over hers, noting how small it was despite being someone who could wield the Sword of the creator. “That’s a bit of an aside though..Say Teach Have you heard the legends about this tower?” 

He didn’t want his past to darken the mood of the present. This quite alone time with Byleth, this was something special, something rare. Even her mealtimes were often occupied by other students. She was always busying herself as if she was running out of time, as if she couldn't to possible prepare them enough. “They say if a man and a woman pray for the same thing here..on this night, the goddess will grant their wish without fail.” 

It felt weird for him to talk about wishes when he himself was a nonbeliever of the goddess. It felt strange to put one’s faith into a being that he had never seen and could only be given stories by an archbishop that his gut was telling him not to fully trust. 

“Why tonight? The tone that was laced with skepticism as she looked around the tower, as if searching for a rune or something magical device that would explain the story more than the goddess. ‘ _They truly were alike_.’ He thought with a chuckle as he watched her doe eyed expression searching for an answer around the place where they hid. 

Hands rising to link behind the back of his head, he shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with the celebrating the anniversary of the monastery’s completion. Maybe the goddess comes down from above on this night and this night alone to celebrate with us…Even goddesses like to party, right?” Playing with a loose golden thread from his cape, he simply angled his head to look at her properly and gave her a playful smile. “The truth is..that it’s just a legend that students here like to tell. It’s not based on any real facts.” 

Humming softly, he watched the ways the star seemed to light up her countenance. The way her blue eyes shined brighter, the way her skin almost glowed. If he believed, he was sure that the woman before him was the reincarnation of a goddess.There was no other way to describe how beautiful she was. “But I suppose it would be a waste to pass up a chance of having our wish granted…”If there was anyone he’d want to wish and do something as silly as putting his faith into an invisible goddess, it would be with her. Jumping off the ledge they were sitting on, he turned to fully face her and gave her a charming smile. “What do you say, Teach? Care for a try?” 

“What would we pray for?” She asked and he felt as if it was like a test. Would he tell her the truth, the wish he had fostered and desired all his life. To create a world without any boundaries, to be able to bring real peace to the world where people were not ostracized simple because of what blood and familial history they had. To bring together both half of himself and have a place he could call home. He was sure he had a hundred of wishes that he wanted to come to fruition. A hundred dreams he wanted to make a reality. But as he looked at her, head cupped by one hand, a curious look in her eyes. He wondered if he could selfishly and foolishly wish for her to always be by his side. If he could wish for something more.

“Hmmnn..Let’s see..” Mimicking her pose, he thought for a moment what sort of answer would be best in this situation before tapping his chin once. “How about we pray for our ambitions to come true? You don’t exactly seem like the selfish type..but even you must have an ambition or two?”He wondered what sort of dreams she had, what she wanted from life. Did she want to stay as a professor here for the rest of her life? Did she want to leave and continue her life as a wandering mercenary? Did she have want a normal life? Did she maybe…just maybe want a life with him? Even then…Ambition didn’t seem to suit her. She didn’t seem like someone who strived for more power, rather she looked like someone who wanted to support those around her. 

“Mmmnn” She nodded slowly before a soft smile, one that was so small only those closest to her would notice the slight change in her expression, The way the corners of her lips lifted to the way her eyes shined. It was small but it was there and he was glad he was able to notice it. “More of a hope.” 

Hope. That was a good word for it. Rather than an ambition that was selfish and only for herself, she had a hope. A hope meant that it was more people other herself, a hope meant that she thought of the world rather than her own future. He wondered how a mercenary with a notorious name like the Ashen Demon could possibly have such a pure and wonderful heart.A woman with many sides, and each one was a mystery and something he wanted to learn more about. Maybe he could put his hope in her and trust his hope for the future in her hands.“That’s what I thought…It’s the same for everyone. No one is completely satisfied, Everyone has something they long for. Otherwise what’s the point of it all.” 

“Of course, same goes for me. Without even realizing it, I found myself holding tight to some pretty big ambitions.” An ambition to break down the wall that was carved not only at Fodlan’s locket but in the hearts of it’s people. He wanted to see a world that was free from the prejudice that haunted his childhood, that tormented his present, and was a hindrance to his future. He felt like some of them were near impossible. However that changed the moment he met her, a stranger with a mysterious background that was able to wield the sword of legends. Could he possibly add another hope, another ambition, another dream to his long list. “If you would…I would love for you to share in those ambitions with me, Teach.” 

Did she know the implications of what he was asking? He half wondered and felt his own heartbeat tremble at the thought of being denied, of being turned away, of being rejected. Since when did his feelings for her change so drastically? Since when did he find himself yearning for her, looking for her in the crowd. He didn’t know if this was love. Maybe this was the same feeling his mother felt when she first met his father. Maybe this was the feeling she felt that convinced her to forsake all she had in Foldan to take his hand to an unknown land. Maybe this was what she meant when she told him when he was younger, then when he found his star, that he wouldn’t be able to consider any other option. 

That person would become everything to him. That person would be his only love, his only reason to breathe, his dream, his hope, his heart. That he would forever and always only need that person, someone irreplaceable, someone that could not be compared to anyone else. And to when he looked at the blue haired woman before him, that was the only way to describe his growing feelings for her. He couldn’t tell if they were romantic, maybe they were, but he just knew that he wanted her by his side. That she had become someone that he truly needed to create a place without sadness and pain. She was…

“But all that aside, let’s get started. Let’s pray to the goddess before she tuckers out for the evening…Okay….Here goes.” He said with a dramatic flair before raising his arms and playfully coughing. “Oh divine Goddess! Hear our prayers! We beseech you and your radiance! Please, grant us that which we seek!” As he dramatically and playfully prayed to a deity he didn’t believe in, his eyes wandered and saw her, smiling a bit amused. 

He felt the next words catch at the back of his throat and he coughed and shook his head. “Huh…” What was he doing just now? How was it that small smile from her seemed to disarm him more than a soldier charging at him on the battlefield. “I think that should do it. The ought'll make our dreams come true now, yeah?” 

A soft hum as she laced her fingers behind her and looked up at the starry sky. “I wonder.” She whispered softly and he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by such a simple gesture. He was painfully aware that what he felt for her was dangerous and also against the rules as long as he was her student. But it didn’t hurt to admire her, right? 

“At any rate, we’ve done all we can. Whether we actually believe our dreams will come true or not is up to us.” His dreams, his big dreams that never seemed to feel real until now. When he saw her blue eyes confident in guiding him, helping him lead, he felt more confident in the idea that it will come to fruition. That with her, his dreams didn’t seem impossible. “I suppose we should head back soon..I’m sure _everyone_ is looking for you. Just promise to spare a dance for me. Okay, Teach? I swear as long as it’s not one of those goofy noble dances, I am a treasure on the dance floor.” He said with a playful wink but was even more surprised when she nodded. There was something so easy about dancing with her, when his hand first found it’s place on the small of her back. The way her hand fit in his, and how her dark blue eyes stared up at him. It was hardly boring, it was actually quite the opposite. And he really wanted to dance with her again before the night was up. 

“I think I liked dancing with you best. Maybe cause you were my first.” Her voice was soft before she turned around and left him to think on top of the Goddess Tower. "Either way, if you want another dance, you’ll have to find me first, Claude.” 

As he stared at the space where he found her last time, empty and ruined like the rest of the campus, he felt his heart sink. He had hoped that maybe just maybe she would be here. It was getting harder to hold onto the hope that she would come back. Soon, he would have to focus on the Alliance and the war that seemed to be at his borders. He would have to fight his former classmates. He would have to write history without her. And it felt so wrong. 

He stared up at the starry night, recalling the last time he was here, he had made a wish to the Goddess, half-assed, uncaring if it came true because as long as he had Byleth, he felt more reassured than anything else. He didn’t know if there was a point in praying alone to some entity that didn’t exist but then again, he did see the huge dragon of legends in that battle five years ago. Maybe he was wrong about the Goddess. 

“Bring her back.” He whispered to the stars. Wondering if they could hear his plea. He had thought that with time he would forget about the mysterious woman. A foolish passing thought in his way to cloak his grief. How could ever forget her? Then his feelings for her grew and grew until he knew what they were. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but his just felt broken, like a part of it was gone. “I don’t want to be wrong…So please…Please come back…Byleth….If I am wrong…if I am foolishly holding onto a hope that will never come true…I think my heart will stop.” 

His dream to see her by his side as he looked and carved a better future, a better world, still was there in his heart. He couldn’t picture anyone else there. He couldn’t see a better world without her in it anymore. So, he selfishly begged the universe to bring her back. For the stars to spit her out and let her fall into his arms. For the Goddess to have mercy on his poor moral heart and let him see her again. 

Watching the horizon, he saw the rising sun and felt his heart sink. The sunlight hitting his skin didn’t feel warm, it felt like a rude awakening. Time was almost up, and maybe he should start coming to the realization that he should give up. Hearing footsteps, he turned around to see a shadowed figure appear. He wondered at first if it was one of the other members of the Golden Deer. Brows furrowing at the silence footsteps, he grabbed hold of the dagger that was at his waist. He had heard of the bandits that were lurking and looting the abandoned school. 

He felt his body tense up as he got ready to fight and attack whoever was approaching. He had yet to face them, but if they thought they could commit to a surprise attack against him, they were sorely mistaken. Turning his head slowly when he heard the footsteps stop, he wondered if he should strike first but once he saw the light hit their face, he felt his heart stop. “Byleth.”He whispered softly under his breath as he saw her mint hair and mint eyes staring at him. He wondered if his grief had caused him to hallucinate, but he wouldn’t imagine her in a tattered and worn uniform. She wouldn’t look like she just came out of hell to come here. The softness in his gaze as he felt his hope, his dream, his wish on the tower come true. Here she was, truly in front of him. 

The smile that curled onto his lips as he saw her, looking like she didn’t age a day since the battle, and yet—she was here. She kept her promise. He didn’t know how it was possible, but she was here. Just when he was about to give up, she came back and brought back hope in the future that he thought he had lost moments ago. He half wondered if it was her that he wished to on the tower. Begging her to come back. He wouldn’t be surprised with how she told him that a Goddess lurked in her psyche, and how she merged with the Goddess herself. He was just glad she was alive. That his hope that she was alive was not in vain. 

“You overslept, Teach.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song: Like A Star by The One (Ft. Taeyeon)
> 
> I am...a week late .... But!! I have no excuses. I really just am late and I hope it's completely okay that I still do the prompts a week later because they are all so good and so fun! Anyways I don't know if I can write seven fics in a row but I do plan on doing each prompt! I also plan for every fic to be inspired by a song...or at least I'll try to. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!


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